Famous for making films with a strong socio-political theme, Mani Ratnam is an Indian director and producer, who blurred the lines between parallel and commercial cinema in the Tamil movie industry. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film, Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1987) which won him the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Screenplay. However, what catapulted him to stardom was the smash hit Nayakan (1987). The film ended up winning three National Film awards apart from being included in Time magazine's All-time Greatest Movies list. He then helmed Geethanjali (1989), Thalapathi (1991), Roja (1992), Bombay (1995) and Dil Se (1998). Dil Se starring Shah Rukh Khan also won a special award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Over the years, Mani has delivered a string of hits including Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Saathiya (2002), Yuva (2004), Guru (2007), and Kadal (2013).